QuiltCon 2019 Nashville – A Summary of the Quilt Show

by Laura Loewen

We have done our best to appropriately credit makers. However, please do not hesitate to email info@bouldermqg.com with questions or comments about quilt makers. QuiltCon is a little crazy and we did our best to grab photos of signage.

QuiltCon is a whirlwind four days of quiltiness overload. Experiencing QuiltCon may be on many modern quilters’ bucket lists. If you ever have a chance to go, take it. You will come away with a “QuiltCon hangover” full of inspiration and knowledge. I will discuss the things that I took away from the quilt show at QuiltCon 2019. This is an editorial review by just one attendee.

SHOW STOPPERS

There is always a class of quilts that are the most photographed at each QuiltCon. I call these quilts the “show stoppers.” The photographs of these quilts are as fabulous as the quilts themselves. Each of these quilts glow and the people gravitate towards them during the show. Everyone wants a picture so they can share it on their own blog/social media/instagram. Here are just a few of some of the amazing quilts that I consider show stopping.

OUR GUILD’S QUILTS

This year our guild was represented at QuiltCon by our group charity quilt and by two of our members, Anne D. and Laura L. Our charity quilt was hanging in a prominent location in the main hall outside the show and vendor conference room. Everyone who took the elevators to the third floor room saw the quilt as they headed towards the show.

A bit biased, but I thought the BoulderMQG charity quilt was one of the most stunning in the charity quilt collection.

Anne Deister’s @springleafstudios quilts hung at the show in the MQG Quilt of the Month exhibit and in the Use of Negative Space category. Anne’s negative space quilt also graced the pages of the 2019 QuiltCon magazine.

Laura Loewen’s @loewensewen quilts were displayed in the Quilting Challenge : Two Color exhibit and in the Handwork category.

TRENDS + SURPRISES

I came away with the impression that there were several apparent trends at QuiltCon among the quilts on display. I first noticed that almost every quilt fell within two groups, bright bold colors or earthy neutrals. The bright colors were clean and clear and often paired with other bright colors; less often paired with neutrals. The earthy fabrics tended towards ecru, blush, and copper tones. Those quilts felt light and delicate. Very few quilts crossed into both groups and even fewer fell outside of these classifications.

A second trend I noticed was the lack of the solid white expanse. I think that ship has sailed. The piecing and color/fabric selection of today’s modern quilts is much more sophisticated than just leaving a blank canvas. Within the minimalist design and the negative space categories, the space was filled with detail, texture, and color.

Even when the quilt appears to be just blank “white” it is actually filled with piecing and quilting details, such as in these three quilts:

I was surprised at the amount of printed fabrics included in the show quilts. So much of my view of a show-worthy “modern quilt” included solid fabrics. There were still many quilts that used only solid fabrics, however, at least a third or more of the quilts in the show contained prints. Most of the quilts that contained prints did also use solid fabrics. The printed fabric added depth, texture, and dimension. I am happy about this trend and am looking forward to exploring it in my own quilts.

The last trend that stood out to me, and I have also mentioned several times, is texture and dimension. There was so much dimension in these two-dimensional works that I am glad I was able to see them in person. Makers used quilting thread weights, colors, and size of stitches to create depth and differentiate areas of the quilts’ design. There were a lot of linens, wovens, and shot cottons. Where fabrics appear as solids there is actually a lot of texture. There was even some use of fabric to create 3-dimensional components. I am including only a very few photographs of quilts that demonstrated texture and dimension.

CATEGORIES + ACCEPTANCE

One last thing I came away from QuiltCon with is the overwhelm of the sheer volume of quilts in the show. There were most definitely over 500 quilts hanging if you include special exhibits and charity quilts. Unfortunately, I did not get to see every quilt in the show. And as far as large, international quilt shows are concerned, QuiltCon is actually pretty small.

There are 12 categories that you can enter your quilts into. There seemed to be a lot of crossover between categories, many quilts would qualify for many of the categories. The entrant selects the category to submit to, besides Small Quilts and Youth which is determined by size and age, respectively. It seemed like the largest categories were Modern Traditionalism, Piecing, and Quilting Challenge : Two Color. Even those categories probably had less than 50 quilts each on display. The smaller categories were Group or Bee Quilts, Handwork, and Applique. Professional quilters have quilts hanging alongside amateur and hobbyist quilters. Everyone is judged and juried into the same show.

The youth category is determined by age, and most of us aren’t young enough to qualify. However, many of the youth quilts fell more towards art quilts with the use of textiles to create pictures or portraits. It is nice to see youth excited about the art of quilting.

It’s really up to fate if your quilt is selected to hang in the show. If your quilt isn’t accepted one year, there’s a good chance it may be selected in another year. The skills, techniques, and quality of the quilts that I saw in the show is attainable by anyone who puts their mind to it.